Automated transaction machines are known in the prior art. A common type of automated transaction machine is an automated teller machine (ATM). ATMs have been developed which are capable of performing a variety of transactions including the dispensing of currency notes. ATMs are commonly used by individuals to receive cash from their accounts, to pay bills, to transfer cash between accounts, and to make deposits. Certain ATMs also have the capability of delivering and receiving various types of sheet materials. For example, some ATMs dispense materials such as tickets, travelers' checks, money orders, bank checks, scrip, stamps, vouchers, gaming materials, lottery tickets, transit tokens, or other sheet materials stored in or produced by the machine. Other types of transaction machines dispense notes which are alternatively referred to herein as bills, and other types of sheets to users such as bank tellers, cashiers, and other service providers. Automated transaction machines generally dispense such materials while operating to enable appropriate charges and credits to be applied to the respective accounts of the customer, the machine owner, and/or the provider of the dispensed materials. For purposes of this description an automated transaction machine, automated banking machine or ATM will be considered as any machine that carries out transactions including transfers of value.
Customers also commonly receive from an ATM a printed sheet which is a receipt indicating the particulars of the transactions they have conducted at the machine. In addition customers may request and receive from some ATMs a more detailed statement of transactions conducted on their account.
ATMs currently in use often have different areas on the machine where sheets are received from or delivered to a customer. For example, most machines include one area for delivering bills to a customer and another area for receiving deposits.
ATMs that dispense currency bills or other types of sheets representative of value are generally constructed to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing the supply of sheets held inside the machine. ATMs typically include a generally secure chest or enclosure. The interior of the enclosure includes storage areas for currency bills and other types of sheet materials. ATMs may include several different passageways, devices and transports which operate to deliver sheet materials from storage areas in the machine to users.
Unfortunately, some unscrupulous individuals on rare occasions are successful in tampering with ATMs. Sometimes this is done by placing objects through a sheet delivery opening. Such tampering may corrupt the operation of the machine and prevent the final delivery of sheet materials to the customer. Therefore, a customer's account may be charged the value of the requested sheet materials without the customer ever receiving the sheet materials. In some cases, such unscrupulous individuals may return to the ATM after the sheets of an authorized user have become trapped inside the machine near the delivery opening and attempt to extract them.
In many ATMs, access through the sheet delivery opening is controlled by a movable gate. In normal operation of the ATM, the gate may be controlled to move to open the delivery opening when the requested sheet material is ready to be presented to the customer. The gate may be constructed so that when the sheet material that is presented to the user is removed, the gate returns to a closed position.
In instances of tampering when sheets are being presented, the unscrupulous individual may move the gate to place objects inside the ATM through the opening. Such objects may trap bills that one or more users may subsequently request the ATM to dispense. At a later time, the unscrupulous individual may return and reopen the gate to extract any trapped bills. The fact that protective gates must open to at least provide access to the ATM interior during a legitimate transaction presents a potential way for criminals to try to attack the machine.
Thus, there exists a need for an automated transaction machine that reduces the risk of machine tampering.